Centura’s annual Evidence-based Practice (EBP), Research and Innovation Conference is a chance for our incredible caregivers to come together to share and learn about the latest in evidence-based practice, quality improvement and research achievements from across our connected ecosystem.

This year’s conference, which will explore the theme “Evolving through innovation and leadership,” will be held on Nov. 5 and will be 100% virtual. All Centura caregivers are invited to attend! The cost for Centura associates is just $10, and 5 CE credits are offered to participants, if applicable. Click here to register today!

To learn more about the conference’s guest speakers and learning objectives, click here.

Questions?
Contact Yuki Asakura, Conference Chair, at YukiAsakura@Centura.org.

On Sunday, Oct. 10, Information Technology (IT) will upgrade Epic to the February/May 2021 version to ensure our incredible caregivers are up-to-date with the most optimized Epic functionality!

NEW with this upgrade: One-Click Feedback on Decision Support! Clinicians can indicate whether a decision support was useful or not! Results Release to MyChart available directly in Chart Review! New peripheral drawing tools in Cupid for Cardiologist diagram documentation!

Epic will be unavailable for approximately two hours while IT applies the upgrade to a new version starting at 11:30 p.m. (2330 MST) (0030 CT) Saturday, Oct. 9.

What do you need to do?
Please be aware that in order to ready Epic for the upgrade, IT will put the production environment into a transparent lockdown beginning Thursday, Oct. 7, at 5 p.m. (1700 MT) (1800 CT). Certain customization tools, including the application of filters to Chart Review, modifying NoteWriter macros, modifying SmartPhrases, etc., will not be available during this time.

There will be a dedicated remote Command Center where Epic Upgrade related tickets can be submitted. The Command Center will open on Sunday, Oct. 10, at 1:30 a.m. (0130 MT) (0230 CT) and remain open until Tuesday, Oct. 12. If you or an end user need assistance with an upgrade related issue, please call the Service Center at 303-643-4200 and they will be able to provide direction.  

IT will have a dedicated Epic Command Center Support Issue request available in the Self Service Hub for end users to report any issues they may encounter with the Epic Upgrade.



How to submit an Epic Upgrade Command Center Support Issue:

1. Launch the Self Service Hub.
2. Enter Upgrade in the Search field at the top.
3. Select Epic Command Center Support Issue request.
4. Enter the Required fields.
5. Click Submit

As health care professionals, we are all too aware of the prevalence of suicide. According to New Directions Behavioral Health, for every death by suicide there are more than 25 attempts. Those who attempt suicide are often seen by our Emergency Departments and, depending on the severity, other areas of our hospitals. I believe the importance of September’s Suicide Prevention Awareness Month is to focus on prevention whenever possible.    

Prevention begins with building resilience in ourselves and others so that we are all able to tolerate difficult experiences and challenging emotions. It is easier to consider how we can increase our resilience when we break focus areas into sections. These sections of sustainability may include Friends, Family, Spirituality, Access to Resources, and Actions of Service.

Friends: Ensuring that we have a support group outside of our family that we can depend on when things get difficult but also spend time with when we want to increase positive experiences.  

Family: This can look different for everyone and can include both our given family as well as our chosen family. Identifying healthy familial relationships allows us to connect with our past and feel comfortable in our foundation.  

Spirituality: This involves the recognition of a feeling or sense of belief there is something greater than oneself.  

Access to Resources: Ensures that we have reasonable access to our fundamental needs such as food, water, shelter, health care, financial stability, etc.  

Actions of Service: “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”  - Gandhi  

These may be areas in which you feel you have built strength, and they help with your resilience during difficult times. The way we help with prevention of others is to consider how we can close the gap in one of these areas for our colleagues, friends, family members, and acquaintances. Can you be the person to sit next to someone who is eating alone? Can you be the one to extend an olive branch in a familial relationship? Can you help to ensure others have access to some of their basic needs, and can you give back to the community outside of your daily role?  

Once you have considered the ways you can increase prevention it is also important to know how to have difficult conversations with others to check in about their safety or your own. Know the resources available to help. If you know someone in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or text the Crisis Text line (text HELLO to 741741). Both services are free and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Military veterans can call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1 or send a text to 838255. All calls are confidential.  

For Centura Health associates, you and your family also have access to the Profile Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which offers free counseling and support. Go to our website at www.profileEAP.org and use company code “Centura.” You can also download our app.

Ashley Manson, LPC
EAP Specialist - Denver
Centura Health/Profile EAP

As the world continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve never been more aware of the importance of our and our loved one’s health and well-being. This year, World Heart Day on Sept. 29 is more crucial than ever. It’s a chance for us all to connect with our own hearts and make sure we’re fueling and nurturing them as best we can; and to connect every heart, shining a spotlight on the power of digital health to put us all at the heart of our own health and care.

Nurture and fuel your ♥

• Improve your heart health and nutrition by enrolling in Inspire Wellbeing’s self-paced, 8-chapter course. Learn about different types of fats, fiber and the impacts of sugar so that you can make healthier choices. Earn 50 points when you complete the course and successfully pass each chapter quiz. Click here to get started!

• Fuel your body with a new recipe from Foodsmart! Find recipes for heart healthy meals, make a meal plan and complete your Nutriquiz to find areas of improvement with Foodsmart, our refreshed digital nutrition platform that makes healthy eating easy. Get started today and earn 100 points by registering and completing your Nutriquiz. Click on the Foodsmart program in your Inspire Wellbeing account here.

• Living a tobacco free life is the most impactful heart healthy behavior you can make. If you use tobacco products and are ready to quit, join the American Lung Association tobacco cessation program, free to you, through your Inspire Wellbeing account. You can earn 400 Health Points as a medical plan member if you are a tobacco user and complete the 8-week telephonic cessation program by March 31, 2022. To sign up for the program, complete this form and email to: referral@helpline.lung.org

Connect with every ♥
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to find alternative ways to connect people to heart health, particularly in lower-resource areas and communities. Disconnected hearts are at a greater risk of heart disease and stroke due to lack of access to cardiovascular disease prevention, treatment and control – yet half the world’s population doesn’t have access to internet connectivity. As caregivers, we can enable and empower everyone, everywhere, to use digital tools for better prevention, diagnosis and care of heart-related conditions.

Use ♥ in your actions
In honor of World Heart Day, use heart in all your actions. Together, we can build connections with those impacted by cardiovascular disease and inspire heart-healthy living.

Other than skin cancers, the most common form of cancer in men is prostate cancer. About one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but the cancer is typically slow-growing and most do not die from it. It is typically slow-growing and treatment is often effective.

The American Cancer Society® states that more than 3.1 million men in the United States who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point are still alive today!

Risk factors for prostate cancer According to the CDC: Prostate cancer develops mainly in men over age 50. About six in 10 cases are diagnosed in men 65 or older. African-American men are at greater risk. For some men, family history of prostate cancer may put them at higher risk.

Signs and symptoms of prostate cancer Early prostate cancer usually causes no symptoms, but as the cancer grows it can cause one or more of these signs and symptoms: Problems urinating or blood in the urine Frequent urination, especially at night Difficulty emptying the bladder completely Erectile dysfunction Pain in the back, hips or pelvis that doesn’t go away (Keep in mind that these symptoms may be caused by conditions other than prostate cancer.)

Recurring screenings are the best way to catch cancer early, before it has spread to other areas of the body. Some of the more common screenings for prostate cancer are a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in a man’s blood or a digital rectal exam (DRE). If the results from either of these screenings are abnormal, further testing is typically suggested. These tests can include a transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) or prostate biopsy.

It is important not to delay screening or treatment of prostate cancer due to concerns about COVID-19. At Centura Health, our hospitals and other care sites are ready to serve our patients safely without delay.

If prostate cancer is found, there are a number of ways it can be treated. Some of the most common treatment options are surgery, radiation, cryotherapy, hormone therapy and chemotherapy.

You can also help prevent prostate cancer by eating healthy, exercising regularly, taking the right vitamins and minerals and avoiding toxins.

We are proud to announce the 19 recipients of Centura Health’s inaugural Health Equity & Advancement Fund, created to extend the impact of community efforts focused on advancing social justice through initiatives that extend health equity across Colorado and western Kansas. Grants awarded ranged from $25,000 to $87,720 with a focus on programs that serve diverse communities and/or populations, focus on diverse caregivers, and leverage collaborations with other partners to increase social impact.

“The grant recipients for our first Health Equity & Advancement Fund are truly committed to increasing opportunities for everyone in their community to live the healthiest life possible by advancing health equity through innovative social justice programs that address the persistent gaps that create barriers to having healthy communities,” said Dr. Oswaldo Grenardo, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Centura Health. “Their programs help curate our vision to make every community, every neighborhood, every life – whole and healthy. This is just the beginning of building our programs around health equity. We are excited to support these organizations who work day in and day out to inspire positive change.”

2021 Health Equity & Advancement Fund Recipients

1. Brother Jeffs Cultural Center, Denver, Colo.

2. Catholic Charities of Central Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colo.

3. Center for African American Health, Denver, Colo.

4. Chanda Plan Foundation, Lakewood, Colo.

5. Cleo Parker Robinson, Denver, Colo.

6. Coal Creek Meals on Wheels, Lafayette, Colo.

7. Community Food Share, Louisville, Colo.

8. Finney County Community Health Coalition, Garden City, Kans.

9. Heart Mind Connect, Littleton, Colo.

10. Homeward Pikes Peak, Colorado Springs, Colo.

11. International Rescue Committee, Denver, Colo.

12. Posada, Pueblo, Colo.

13. Project Worthmore, Aurora, Colo.

14. Rose Andom Center, Denver, Colo.

15. Second Chance Through Faith, Colorado Springs, Colo.

16. Side by Side, Denver, Colo.

17. Solid Rock Community Development Corporation, Colorado Springs, Colo.

18. The Place, Colorado Springs, Colo.

19. Veterans Community Project, Longmont, Colo.

We invite you to learn more about these organizations and their projects here.